Collins steps down as Lakeland basketball coach to focus on AD job

LAKELAND — Deron Collins has resigned as Lakeland’s boys basketball coach just 34 wins shy of 500 career wins and will focus on being the athletic director, Collins confirmed on Friday morning.

Assistant coach Dwayne Johnson will take over as head coach.

“I think it’s a good time for a transition,” Collins said. “Dwayne Johnson has been here, and his goal was to be a head coach. It’s a good thing to be leaving it in good hands. He’s ready to do this job.

“Moving to being the A.D., I want to be able to do the job during the basketball season as well as I do it in the spring and fall.”

Collins, 52, became interim athletic director in February after the basketball season while former Athletic Director Justin Troller was on suspension during an investigation into interactions with a student. After the school year, with Troller’s status still unknown as he appealed his termination, Lakeland Principal Arthur Martinez met with Collins about Collins taking over the job full time. Because the athletic director position is a supplemental position, Martinez could make the change even though Troller’s status is still under appeal. If he wins, he could return as a teacher. Troller also sits on the Lakeland City Commission.

Collins, whose career record is 466-245, went to Lakeland in 2003 after six seasons at Haines City, where he led the Hornets to a state championship in 2002, compiling a 133-50 record. His first head coaching job was in Sebring in 1991. He spent six seasons there and led the Blue Streaks to the playoffs for the first time. In 14 years at Lakeland, he compiled a 237-135 record and led the Dreadnaughts to the playoffs eight times and reached the regional finals in 2009.

He hasn’t ruled out returning to coaching.

“Who knows, I might get the itch to coach again,” said Collins, who also is a P.E. teacher at Lakeland.

Johnson, 29, who played high school basketball at Miami Carol City, has been an assistant at Lakeland for the past year. He played college basketball for two years at Florida State College of Jacksonville then two years at Southeastern, where he finished up in 2013. He averaged 20.8 points and 5.1 assists his senior year in leading the Fire to a 27-7 record and their first appearance in the NAIA Division II Fab Four. He played briefly overseas before getting into coaching.

"I'm excited to have the job as the new head coach at Lakeland," Johnson said. "I"m just ready to start the season."

Johnson said it wasn't until his playing career was coming to an end that he started to consider getting into coaching.

"I felt I could give more back to the game as a coach than as a player," he said.